Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox golfer Emmett Cary Middlecoff (January 6, 1921 – September 1, 1998) was an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour from 1947 to 1961. His 39 Tour wins place him tied for tenth all-time, and he won three major championships. Middlecoff graduated as a dentist, but gave up his practice at age 26 to become a full-time Tour golfer.
Early life and amateur careerEdit
Middlecoff was born January 6, 1921,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> in Halls, Tennessee. He graduated from Christian Brothers High School. He played collegiate golf at the University of Mississippi, becoming that school's first golf All-American in 1939. First as an undergraduate and active member of Kappa Alpha Order, then as a dental student at the University of Tennessee, Middlecoff won the Tennessee State Amateur Championship for four straight years (1940–1943). After obtaining his Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree in 1944, he entered the United States Army Dental Corps during World War II. He won a PGA Tour tournament as an amateur in 1945
Professional careerEdit
In 1947, Middlecoff turned professional. He was selected for the 1947 Walker Cup team but immediately withdrew as he intended turning professional.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
During his playing career, Middlecoff won 39 PGA Tour tournaments,<ref name=pga>Template:Cite book</ref> including the 1955 Masters and U.S. Open titles in 1949 and 1956. He won the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average in 1956.
Middlecoff played on three Ryder Cup teams: 1953, 1955, and 1959 – the U.S. teams won all three times. He was ineligible for the 1957 Ryder Cup because he failed to play in the PGA Championship that year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Middlecoff was disappointed to lose a playoff in the 1957 U.S. Open to Dick Mayer, and played very few events following that event. The U.S. lost the Cup in 1957, for the first time since 1933.
Middlecoff's three best seasons were 1949, 1951 and 1956, as he won six tour titles in each of those years. He won at least one tour tournament in 13 of his 15 seasons, missing only in 1957 and 1960.
During the decade of the 1950s, Middlecoff won 28 tour titles, more than any other player during that span. A tall player with plenty of power and very good accuracy, Middlecoff during his best years was also a superb putter. He was known for often taking excessive time to play his shots.
Back problems and struggles with his nerves during competition ended his career in the early 1960s, when he was in his early 40s, although he continued to play occasionally, competing in the Masters until 1971, as a past champion.
Middlecoff became a top player despite having one leg slightly shorter than the other.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
He appeared in two motion pictures as himself (Follow the Sun (1951, about the life and career of Ben Hogan) and The Bellboy (1960)). He wrote a newspaper column, "The Golf Doctor." He also appeared in a short biographical sports documentary Golf Doctor (1947).
Middlecoff later developed a reputation as one of the best of the early golf television commentators. After retiring from the tour, he spent 18 years as a golf analyst for television.<ref name="nyt">Template:Cite news</ref>
DeathEdit
Middlecoff died of heart disease in 1998 in Memphis, Tennessee. He was survived by his wife of 51 years, Edith.<ref name="nyt" />
Awards and honorsEdit
- In 1956, Middlecoff earned the Vardon Trophy, the honor bestowed to the player with the lowest average score over the course of the season.
- In 1986, Middlecoff was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Professional wins (41)Edit
PGA Tour wins (39)Edit
| Legend |
|---|
| Major championships (3) |
| Other PGA Tour (36) |
*Mangrum and Middlecoff agreed to share the 1949 Motor City Open after failing light caused play to halt after eleven holes of a playoff.
PGA Tour playoff record (7–6–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1947 | Charlotte Open | Template:Flagicon George Schoux | Won 18-hole playoff; Middlecoff: −8 (64), Schoux: +1 (73) |
| 2 | 1948 | Tacoma Open Invitational | Template:Flagicon Chuck Congdon, Template:Flagicon Vic Ghezzi, Template:Flagicon Fred Haas, Template:Flagicon Ed Oliver |
Oliver won with eagle on first extra hole after 18-hole playoff; Oliver: −2 (69), Middlecoff: −2 (69), Haas: +1 (72), Congdon: +2 (73), Ghezzi: +4 (75) |
| 3 | 1949 | Motor City Open | Template:Flagicon Lloyd Mangrum | Playoff abandoned after eleven holes due to darkness; tournament shared |
| 4 | 1950 | St. Louis Open | Template:Flagicon Ed Oliver | Won with birdie on second extra hole after 18-hole playoff; Middlecoff: −3 (67), Oliver: −3 (67) |
| 5 | 1951 | Kansas City Open | Template:Flagicon Dave Douglas, Template:Flagicon Doug Ford | Won 18-hole playoff; Middlecoff: −4 (68), Douglas: E (72), Ford: E (72) |
| 6 | 1952 | Motor City Open | Template:Flagicon Ted Kroll | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 7 | 1952 | World Championship of Golf | Template:Flagicon Julius Boros | Lost 18-hole playoff; Boros: −4 (68), Middlecoff: −2 (70) |
| 8 | 1952 | Kansas City Open | Template:Flagicon Jack Burke Jr. | Won 18-hole playoff; Middlecoff: −6 (66), Burke: E (72) |
| 9 | 1953 | Houston Open | Template:Flagicon Jim Ferrier, Template:Flagicon Shelley Mayfield, Template:Flagicon Bill Nary, Template:Flagicon Earl Stewart |
Won 18-hole playoff; Middlecoff: −3 (69), Ferrier: −1 (71), Mayfield: −1 (71), Stewart: E (72), Nary: +3 (75) |
| 10 | 1953 | Carling Open | Template:Flagicon Ted Kroll | Won with par on second extra hole |
| 11 | 1953 | Fort Wayne Open | Template:Flagicon Art Wall Jr. | Lost 18-hole playoff; Wall: −2 (70), Middlecoff: E (72) |
| 12 | 1954 | Phoenix Open | Template:Flagicon Ed Furgol | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
| 13 | 1956 | Texas International Open | Template:Flagicon Gene Littler, Template:Flagicon Peter Thomson | Thomson won with birdie on second extra hole |
| 14 | 1957 | U.S. Open | Template:Flagicon Dick Mayer | Lost 18-hole playoff; Mayer: +2 (72), Middlecoff: +9 (79) |
Sources:<ref name=pga/><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Other wins (1)Edit
this list may be incomplete
- 1949 Greenbrier Pro-Am
Major championshipsEdit
Wins (3)Edit
| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | U.S. Open | 1 shot lead | +2 (75-67-69-75=286) | 1 stroke | Template:Flagicon Clayton Heafner, Template:Flagicon Sam Snead |
| 1955 | Masters Tournament | 4 shot lead | −9 (72-65-72-70=279) | 7 strokes | Template:Flagicon Ben Hogan |
| 1956 | U.S. Open (2) | 1 shot lead | +1 (71-70-70-70=281) | 1 stroke | Template:Flagicon Julius Boros, Template:Flagicon Ben Hogan |
Results timelineEdit
| Tournament | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T12 LA | T29 | 2 | T23 |
| U.S. Open | CUT | T21 | 1 | |
| The Open Championship | ||||
| PGA Championship |
| Tournament | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T7 | T12 | 11 | T27 | T9 | 1 | 3 | CUT | T6 | 2 |
| U.S. Open | T10 | T24 | T24 | WD | T11 | T21 | 1 | 2 | T27 | T19 |
| The Open Championship | 14 | |||||||||
| PGA Championship | QF | R32 | SF | 2 | T20 | T8 |
| Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | CUT | T29 | CUT | CUT | CUT | WD | CUT | CUT | WD |
| U.S. Open | T43 | CUT | CUT | CUT | WD | |||||
| The Open Championship | ||||||||||
| PGA Championship | T29 | T11 | T15 |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 |
|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | WD |
| U.S. Open | ||
| The Open Championship | ||
| PGA Championship |
Template:Legend
Template:Legend
Template:Legend
LA = low amateur
CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" = tied
SummaryEdit
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 26 | 14 |
| U.S. Open | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 18 | 12 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 9 |
| Totals | 3 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 15 | 30 | 54 | 36 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 12 (1948 Masters – 1953 Masters)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (twice)
U.S. national team appearancesEdit
Professional
- Ryder Cup: 1953 (winners), 1955 (winners), 1959 (winners)
- Canada Cup: 1959
- Hopkins Trophy: 1952 (winners), 1955 (winners), 1956 (winners)
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
| name/{{#if:{{#invoke:ustring|match|1=0585448|2=^nm}}
| Template:Trim/
| nm0585448/
}}
| {{#if: {{#property:P345}}
| name/Template:First word/
| find?q=%7B%7B%23if%3A+%0A++++++%7C+%7B%7B%7Bname%7D%7D%7D%0A++++++%7C+%5B%5B%3ATemplate%3APAGENAMEBASE%5D%5D%0A++++++%7D%7D&s=nm
}}
}}{{#if: 0585448 {{#property:P345}} | {{#switch:
| award | awards = awards Awards for | biography | bio = bio Biography for
}}}} {{#if:
| {{{name}}}
| Template:PAGENAMEBASE
}}] at IMDb{{#if: 0585448{{#property:P345}}
| Template:EditAtWikidata
| Template:Main other
}}{{#switch:{{#invoke:string2|matchAny|^nm.........|^nm.......|nm|.........|source=0585448|plain=false}}
| 1 | 3 = Template:Main otherTemplate:Preview warning | 4 = Template:Main otherTemplate:Preview warning
}}{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:IMDb name with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|showblankpositional=1| 1 | 2 | id | name | section }}